Siren
by Mirandaconda3
Summary: She was never a fighter. Never a soldier. Never a warrior. But, in this world, in this second chance of life she was given, she could be a hero. [REWRITTEN]
1. Chapter 1

**Hi there! Welcome everybody new and old! So, for those who may not know this, I used to be on this site under a different username, 3VAMM3. With that username I wrote this story Siren - along with other stories in different fandoms - and it became one of my favorite stories of fan fiction I've written. Well, things happened, obviously, which you can read completely at this story's new** **Tumblr, welcomebackyoko. To put it simply, though, I had to delete the original story and left fan fiction writing for over a year.**

 **I honestly wasn't expected to come back to it as life kind of took over me and I was given lots of responsibilities that take priority. However, for some odd reason, I never forgot about Siren and, because I'm reckless, I've been willing to try my hand at it again. Only thing is, after so long, I don't remember too well of the complete details of the first few chapters. THEREFORE, I shall be re-writing it all from the beginning!**

 **Whether any of you remember the original story or have no idea what the hell I'm talking about, it doesn't matter. Just sit back, relax, and let's go on the adventure of our wonderful new protagonist! ^^**

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 **Siren**

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 **Chapter 1**

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She was never a very strong swimmer.

Sure, she knew the basics - the doggy paddle and a simple backward or forward stroke becoming her best friends when it came to any aerobic activity - but it was always the lack of footing near the deep ends, the intense feeling of nothingness and dread, that seemed to constantly suck her under the surface no matter what. It rendered her almost completely terrified of water itself and the unknown consequences that came with it's interaction.

 _Almost_. Still, she found herself enjoying her time at family barbecues by the pool or sunny days at the beach, even if she had to migrate towards the shallow parts that assured her she was safe. Still, she was able to entertain the soft waves and ripples of the water and float along the surface calmly.

But, she was never a very strong swimmer.

It was her mistake as she wasn't paying much attention to all of her surroundings her last day she went swimming at the beach with her family, nor was she aware of the rip current that had dragged her away along with her floatable device. Nonetheless, the moment she pieced together that she was much further out at sea than she was used to - she wasn't even able to see her older brother or father who had gone ahead of her to dive through waves - the only emotions that resonated and processed through her body were the cold, unwavering swells of panic and fear. Or, perhaps those were the ocean's waves that overpowered her endlessly as she tried to swim against the current back to the shore

There wasn't much going through her head at the time, the need and want to return to that safe spot in her family's arms greater than any other form of reason or logic. However, it was because of that large blunder in her plan that allowed the ocean to break down upon her mercilessly, sending a large amount of salt water down her throat and making both her nose and lungs burn with longing for oxygen. Leaving her floatable device behind, all she could do was claw at the air trying to move - she didn't care if it was forward or upwards, she just wanted to _breath_ \- until all she could feel between her fingers was the smooth heartbeat of the sea that now surrounded her, dragging her, suffocating her…

She tried to keep her eyes open, she really did. But, the rough cracks of the water simmered down to soft, muffled hums the further she sank and, _oh_ did that sound nice. The fire in her chest had even started to fade away, much to her relief, and all she wanted to do now was sleep.

Even if she needed to reach the surface. Even if she needed to breath. Even if there were people waiting for her at the shore. All she wanted to do was rest. There was no trouble. It was all a dream, a nightmare even. It had to be.

After all, she was never a very strong swimmer.

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It was a strange feeling, being locked in a cage of water. She would have thought that everything would have happened in the blink of an eye, but to her it all occurred at an agonizingly slow pace that she almost immediately welcomed the cold ocean as it drank away all the life in her body and softly pressed around her. What amazed her the most was how those icy pricks that stabbed her continuously suddenly changed in temperature and warmed her from her head to her toes.

Somehow it was soothing, enveloped in that new pleasant and snug blanket of sorts even if everything had been dark for quite some time now and a little more than cramped. She didn't dare to open her eyes again to see how deep she had been dragged down to - she wouldn't have been able to do so even if she wanted to anyways - and only immersed herself in the gentle rhythmic thumping that made her strange surroundings feel like home. She felt safe.

Perhaps she had already been saved? Or maybe she had been found just in time and was now being rescued at that moment? After all, it did seem quite odd for her to be enjoying her new safe haven, if that was what she could think of it as.

Before she could think any longer on the subject, and after an unknown amount of time had finally passed, her surroundings enclosed upon her even more, tightening up the space she had been kept in. Soon, she found that the warmth around her was actually alive in some way as it moved and contracted. It felt odd to be experiencing such a thing, but strangely enough, she wasn't terrified. It wasn't until she could feel herself being forcibly pushed and squeezed through a narrow pass that an unexpected emotion began to dwell within her once more. She wasn't sure if it was fear or surprise or maybe something in between, but the blinding light that followed her exposure from her makeshift asylum was more than pleasing to experience.

She gulped and gasped the moment she could recognize the thin, welcoming feeling of air around her, her body immediately filling itself and her chest inflating with the sweet sweet oxygen they so desperately craved.

Finally, she opened her eyes, her lids heavy as if she had been sleeping soundly for a decade. Like the dark foils of the sea that swallowed her, everything was blurry. And yet, she didn't feel the sense of panic she felt earlier that day, making her wonder what exactly was going on. She could also vaguely feel a sense of strange stickiness and a wet substance that most certainly wasn't ocean spray all over her body. The smell itself wasn't unpleasant, but merely unfamiliar and new. As that initial thought came and went like the train that carried most of her passing thoughts, the next thing she could recognized was that someone was holding her.

The hands felt big and cradled her gently like a newborn infant. But, that couldn't have been correct. Sure, she was small, being only fifteen years old and not even into her second year of high school yet, but there still shouldn't have been anybody large enough to hold her body as delicately as they were doing so now. Therefore, it was understandable when both her mind and body froze at the sight of a giant face - it was of an Asian man just barely reaching middle aged - invading her field of vision.

⌊ 潮! ああ ,潮! ⌉ the man said excited, his words somewhat muffled as her ears tried to pick up on the strange language he spoke, ⌊ 彼女は美しい! 真に! ⌉

At first, the only thing she could comprehend was how confused she was of her situation; She knew she had just been rescued, but why did everything seem so foreign around her? Although the language being spoken was much different than the English or Portuguese she was overly familiar with growing up, she recognized the flow of syllables as one of the many asian languages she heard in the background of her life. However, at the moment, she couldn't tell if it was Chinese or Japanese nor did she really care when all she wanted to do was squirm away from the big head still looking down at her with fond, glassy eyes, and go back to her family she had been separated from.

⌊ 泣いて…いない… ⌉ another voice, this time feminine and so soft and weary, seemingly asked from somewhere else, ⌊ 彼女…大丈夫? ⌉

Immediately, the man looked back in the direction of the woman's voice and responded with fervor, ⌊ はい！はい はい はい! 自分で見て, 潮! 我々の娘! ⌉

She could feel her body being moved, smoothly but carefully, and suddenly, a new face appeared before her. Only this time, the picture she received wasn't as visually pleasing as the other man who was still holding her.

The woman whose voice was soft and almost non-existent was much worse off than what she had sounded like from the sidelines. Her thick hair, which sported an unusual dark indigo color, was spread unevenly behind her head against the pillow she lay against and clung to her thin face as beads of sweat trickled down her neck. Her skin gave off a sickly yellowish tint and both her eyes and cheeks seemed to hollow under the hospital light that shined down upon her. Next to her, a billboard of wires hung close by and the choppy rhythm of a heart monitor could be heard, adding on to the non favorable conditions this woman was left it. It was a shockingly horrible sight, one she was not prepared to see as her eyes widened in response to the view.

And yet still, the woman smiled the moment she lay eyes on her, her dry, cracked lips doing their best to enunciate the relief and happiness she must have felt, ⌊ 美しい..我々の娘… ⌉

Suddenly, everything had become clear; a switch of knowledge had flipped inside of her. Why everything had become so big and the odd sensations she had felt before of being pushed and brought into a new light. The reason she had felt like she was being held like an infant was simply because she _was_ one! A newborn fresh from the womb and staring straight into the eyes of the woman who had birthed her!

It couldn't have been right. No…it _wasn't_ right! It was impossible! She was fifteen! A teenager! Not this, this… _baby_! It wasn't her. It wasn't her body. And the woman looking down at her with eyes of love and affection was most certainly _not_ her mother! All these feelings rushed down on her at once, spreading throughout her body until she could physically feel her tiny throat begin to close up and cut her off from the oxygen she needed once again. She was no longer dwelling in the depths of the ocean that consumed her, however she still felt as if she was drowning.

Out of no where, the monitor hovering just beside the sickly woman's beside began to beat at an alarming rate, the already rough rhythm quickly escalating into a more turbulent orchestra that nobody would want to connect with the human body. It seemed as though the sound worried the man holding her -as well as other people who she hadn't known was in the same room as them - as she was brought closer to his chest with one arm so that he could move closer to the woman in the bed.

⌊ 潮? 潮, 僕を見て! しっかりして! 潮! ⌉ The man held the woman's shoulder, but didn't attempt to shake it, as if all he was trying to do was keep whatever was left of her from leaving. Around them all, people in white encircled the woman, trying to get something, anything, that would help that tempestuous meter on the screen to simmer down.

She couldn't help but whimper as the woman reached out a thin, practically bony hand out towards her, the commands and cries around her falling deaf on her ears.

⌊ 強い…私の強い女の子… ⌉ She wasn't able to defend herself as a single frail finger stroked her dirtied cheek, sending chills down her now small back. Again she whimpered out of desperation but the woman's hand still stayed in touch, ⌊ 私の…小さい…洋子… ⌉

Her final words came out as barely a whisper and her hand fell limp onto the hospital bed she was kept in as the unstable rhythm next to her finally came to a complete stop.

⌊ 潮! ⌉ The man who had been holding her cried out almost painfully, startling her tremendously and more easily than what she remembered she was capable of withstanding.

More people in white moved in at that moment to push the man - and therefore herself - a safe distance away from the rest of the commotion, prompting an overwhelming feeling to make her own heart mirror that of the heart monitor just minutes before.

She wanted to scream. She wanted to thrash around and escape from the clutches of the strange man now holding onto her as if she was his own life preserver. She was not this baby born from two complete strangers. This wasn't her body! This wasn't her life! And yet, in the back of her mind, as she watched the fragile woman disappear from her view behind a canvas of people dressed in white, she could hear tiny whispers echoing in her panic-ridden head. This _was_ her body. This _was_ her life now.

As the truth dropped down heavily upon her now small shoulders, she did the only thing she knew she had every right to do both as the infant she supposedly now was and as the teenager she still believed to be. She screeched and cried in the hands of her new "father".

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 **Again, feel free to climb over to welcombackyoko on Tumblr for some fun times regarding this story~**


	2. Chapter 2

**I would just like people to know that, while my Japanese is getting better verbally, I still can't, for the life of me, read or write in the languae. I blame the heavy number of Kanji out there. So, if any of my Japanese is wrong, PLEASE somebody inform me so that I can go back and fix it.**

 **With that being said, enjoy the second chapter! ^^**

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 **Siren**

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 **Chapter 2**

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There was no funeral held after the death of the woman who had given birth to her new life. Well, officially, there was. However, it was so minuscule in size and she had barely even bother to remember what had went down, that there might as well not have been a funeral at all.

Her so-called new father didn't even cry after the woman's death had become final. Most people who have lost their significant other would drown themselves in a depressive state of alcohol, medicine, and or - at their worst - violence towards themselves and others. Her new father didn't fall for any of that.

Instead, he opted to shower her with unwanted attention.

⌊ 洋子ちゃん ~ ! 見てここに! ⌉ He cooed fondly beside her with a large and obviously outdated video camera pointed at her.

From her spot on their small apartment's living room carpet, she eyed him almost suspiciously as he moved around animatedly; One moment, he would stand on the seat of their couch to video tape her playing with her toy blocks from above only to jump down two seconds later to stick his butt in the air and capture her from below. It was rather daunting, at first, for such a grown man to treat even her blinking as a national treasure. Now, it was becoming borderline maddening every time he simply said her name.

⌊ 洋子ちゃん ~ ! ⌉

There. There it was again. That damnable name that has branded her before she could do anything.

重場 洋子

Juba Yoko

She had been in this body long enough to know for sure that the new language she was constantly hearing was, in fact, Japanese. And though she was only a few months old at that point, she had heard quite a few phrases long enough to know somewhat of what they might mean. It just came as common sense that her new name would be the top of that list of comprehension. The name of the man taking care of her now was second in line.

Juba Goro was his name. He was probably as normal as any other person of his age and ethnicity could be with black hair and dark brown eyes that shined behind thin frames. His skin seem to give off a natural and tanned glow, one that seemed to darken every day he took her out for their daily walks around the park near their home. Even his stature and height seemed pretty average, though at her small size, she was hardly capable of differentiating what size was deemed normal and what wasn't. There were slight traces of laugh lines around his mouth and nearly invisible wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, suggesting that his age was slowly catching up to his physical features, however it didn't take too much away from his youthful image. No, really he was just as average as any man could be.

It was that strange ability of his that threw it all off.

⌊ あ！何か君必要知っている! ⌉ Goro exclaimed suddenly, jumping up from his position on the floor and hurrying towards the other side of the apartment towards the rooms. It seemed as if his new plan of his, whatever it might have been, held too much excitement for him as he jumped head first towards the wall of her room…only to warp right through it.

Yoko didn't even blink at the disappearance of her new father. Nor did she flinch at the ruckus she heard him create on the other side of the enclosures. She had seen the strange phenomenon too many times for it to be deemed surprising to her anymore. The first time she had witnessed it, however, she was more than just bewildered. She was horrified.

It had only been a couple of days after she was sucked into this new life of hers - just a day before the funeral of the woman who forced her here occurred - when Goro showed her his ability for the first time.

On that hot summer day in June, the AC in their apartment had unexpectedly stopped working. Yoko could remember Goro's panicked reaction towards the broken machine jutting out of their window, taking her lack of crying as a sign that she was slowly dying from the heat. At least, that's what she assumed he was thinking of whenever he didn't catch her reacting in a way a normal baby would. She remembered watching him as he fiddled with the outside of the device for a while, pushing the same buttons repeatedly as if, by some miracle, it would suddenly start working again. Finally though, after a good ten minutes of failed attempts at fixing it, Goro was able to stupefy Yoko before her eyes as he phased his hand into the machine and resurrected the appliance from the inside.

It was an anomalous situation, one she had hoped never to have to experience again. She even went as far as to hoping the first time was some kind of trick her eyes played on her mind. But then, she was taken on her first outing.

Everywhere Yoko looked there were people of strange physical features passing by. Some would have more than one pair of arms or horns sticking out of their head, while others would have brightly colored skin or hair that seemed to have mind of its own. She even bore witness to people whose head was that of a shark or had tails as scaly and green like a dragon's would've been! There were others who looked just as normal as Goro did, nonetheless, though she still caught some of them practicing talents no normal person should have been capable of carrying.

They were all around her. No matter how long they walked, no matter how far Goro took her, those strange... _things_ continued to follow her. It made her realize, with yet another earth shattering revelation, that not only was she born into a new life, in a new body, with a new name…But, perhaps she was born into a completely new world as well.

⌊ 洋子ちゃん ~ ! ⌉ Goro's voice called once again as he reappeared through the walls back into the living room.

Sliding to a stop just in front of her, he continued to hold the old video camera while his other hand was held up in excitement, his fingers dancing as if to capture her attention.

⌊ よく見る… ⌉ He spoke carefully, giving off the impression that he was instructing her to watch what he did.

Flexing his empty hand, Goro slowly turned his palm sideways…and snapped his wrist quickly, revealing a card that had most certainly not been in his possession a minute ago.

⌊ ジャジャーン! ⌉ He cheered enthusiastically, snapping his wrist again and making the card disappear once more. He continued the little trick several times, the card changing symbols and appearance each time he did it. At one point, he even reached behind her ear only to pull out a slim queen of hearts.

It was an impressive sow, she would give him that. However, she knew better than to think Goro's little magic tricks came from the help of YouTube videos or little books that came with store bought kits. It was clear that he used his phasing or warping or whatever the hell that was to help with this newfound entertainment, something that would've seemed ludicrous if she were to explain it to someone in the world she knew didn't have such strange abilities. No, that kind of practice, along with the outrageous makeup of ever other citizen she saw, was apparently the norm for where she was now.

What made it even worse was that she, too, had become victim of the freakish features that plagued everyone else in this world.

Using the little strength she currently possessed in her small form, Yoko scooted her bottom over towards Goro as much as she could, her short and stubby arms reaching out for the flippable screen that came with the almost vintage looking video camera.

Goro smiled brightly at her actions, not at all caring that she did't react once to his magical advances to amuse her, ⌊ ああ？ほしい見る? ⌉

Assisting her in her endeavors, he flipped the tiny screen over so that she would be able to see what the camera saw at the moment. Albeit tinier and a bit grainy, she was able to witness once more what it was about her that made her blend in with the crowd of a thousand abnormalities.

This face…was much different than the one she was so used to seeing.

Her dark eyes and equally dark hair. Her brown skin that came as heredity from her Latin American roots. They were all gone. Gone and exchanged for outlandish traits that would, of course, be considered normal here.

The hair was of a light blue hue, one reminiscent of an arctic sky and with long lashes to match. It was a lovely color, all things considered, but lacked the buoyancy that came with her head of thick curls she possessed in the before. Instead, it lay flat on top of her head, the short length emphasizing the roundness of her rosy cheeks and milky skin tone. The eyes, which were large and doe like, radiated a lapis blue and carefully scrutinized the part of her that made her feel the most uncomfortable: the fish scales that layered themselves on her skin.

Granted, they were small in size, and only really became noticeable under a certain light where they shimmered thoughtfully, their royal color glinting against her pale complexion. Still, she was made very aware of their existence across where her cheekbones would've been - she even found them on her shoulders and thighs when Goro bathed her - and just couldn't find it in herself to look away from the sight whenever she found her reflection.

It wasn't as if they made her face ugly. She actually found herself to be very charming and incredibly cute despite the unnatural hair color and lightened skin tone. In a few years, maybe she would actually consider herself to be a pretty little thing, were it not for those scales. Those distinctive scales that dominated her face in a way she would have preferred was left to whichever parent she inherited them from. And since Goro didn't seem to have any outward peculiarity, she could only assume it was her so-called mother she had to thank for such a feature.

The same woman who had died just one month before, leaving her to dwell on her insecurities on her own.

Although, despite these negative emotions circling her mind day by day, she still couldn't find herself to truly hate the woman who had passed. Not only did she not feel as if she had the right, but she also lacked the emotions needed to do so. Perhaps it was because of her disconnect from the body she inhabited now that resulted in the absence of her hatred. In her mind, the little infant looking at herself in a camera held by a lively father was not her. She was not this Japanese baby born into a world of misfits and ability induced citizens. What she was, and what she has been for the past fifteen years, was an American-born, Brazilian, teenager. She was a high schooler, just about to enter her sophomore year, and was the third child in a family of six. What she wasn't was this helpless creature dependent on a widower for survival. This infant was _not_ her.

And yet, there were times when she felt unsure of herself and found her thoughts filling with the same question…

 _Who am I?_

 _Was_ she the Brazilian-American teenager she remembered herself being? Of course! Maybe. No. She didn't know.

Was she the little Japanese girl, Juba Yoko, living in a city of powerful users? No. Yes. Maybe. She didn't _know_.

 _Who am I? I don't know._

 _I don't know._

 _I don't know._

 _I DON'T KNOW. I DON'T KNOW. I DON'T KNOW!_

She didn't know who she was anymore.

Her inner emotions clamped down upon her chest, taking her heart and squeezing it roughly. Normally, she probably would have been able to handle such a feeling, hiding it from many people who dared to look at her and ask if anything was wrong. But, she wasn't in a place that was _normal_. And her infant body wasn't capable of handling the sudden feeling.

With her face scrunching up uncomfortably, her deep blue eyes glistened and watered until the first few tears ran down her round cheeks quickly. The more she stared at her reflection in the camera's screen, the more easily her tiny voice came up in small wails. Noticing this drastic change of events, Goro hurriedly turned off the large video camera and scooped her up in his arms.

No! This wasn't what she had wanted! She didn't want to be held or comforted or even touched by this strange man. She just wanted to go home! She wanted to be kept safe in the place she considered to be _home_!

But, all she could do was cry even harder against Goro's chest as she realized that she didn't even know where that was any longer.

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"Okay, Yoko-chan….after me, 後に繰り返して." Goro said next to her as she sat in her high chair, ⌊ パ - パ ⌉

Yoko stared at the man blankly for a moment before going back to amusing herself with the crayons that were spread before her in a vibrant rainbow. It had been a little over ten months since she's stayed in this new world and she was starting to comprehend some of the Japanese spoken to and around her every day.

She was able to clearly understand the simple words from the beginning - ⌊ いいえ ⌉ meant "no" while ⌊ はい ⌉ was equivalent to "yes" - though, the longer string of syllables and consonants took a bit more time to get. However, as time went on she began to piece together many other words and, by the time she entered the Spring of her first year, she was able to understand over two-thirds of the things being spoken to her, her mind putting two and two together for the rest she wasn't as sure about. She was even able to memorize the hiragana that came in the baby books read to her by Goro, and used as much of her coloring time as she could to practice writing the symbols until they became second nature to her.

Unfortunately, doing so also prompted her new father to believe that it was just about time for her to start saying her first words.

Hearing a sigh of exasperation, she looked up just in time to see Goro gently pulling her piece of hiragana scribbled parchment away from her and placing it on the kitchen table behind him, "No." He said firmly before trying to make her speak again, "いい加減にして, Yoko-chan. You can do it! パ - パ "

パ - パ

Pa - pa

 _Father_

Not only were his attempts to make her speak troublesome, but it felt as though he was rubbing salt in the wound trying to force her to treat him as family.

Yoko ignored him flatly and went back to coloring multi-hued characters into the surface of her white high chair, not at all caring about her lack of canvas nor about the consequences of doing so.

"Yoko-chan~!" Goro cried in frustration at her response while drooping his head in defeat. It was obvious that she wasn't interested in his little speaking lesson.

Despite the fact that almost a year had gone by since her entrance into this bizarre Japan, she still felt an enormous sense of disconnect from her body. Not only did she not see the need or want in pursuing a bond with him, she simply couldn't see this man as her family when she already had one. She already had a father and a mother who _wasn't_ dead. She had an older brother as well as an older sister. Hell, she was even an older sister herself! She already had her own family and she didn't need another one.

"I don't understand." Goro's voice came out questioningly as he lifted his head and looked behind him at her messy hiragana written paper on the table, "彼女がよくやりました. So why…?"

He looked back at her with eyes of hurt and an expression of unwarranted melancholy.

"Like me…does she not?"

Dammit.

Of all the sentences she could've understood almost perfectly, that one just had to be the first one to show itself. Goro was also starting to look like a kicked puppy with the gloom that resonated off of him in dark waves, making her feel guilty by the second.

Perhaps it wouldn't have been _that_ bad if she allowed him to be indulged by her much more grown mind just this once? She wouldn't have been able to ignore him for much longer anyways as her window for baby talk would close just as quickly as it had arrived. With this new mindset, she let her crayons fall from her tiny hands and reached out towards the still sulking Goro to try and catch his attention.

"Mmmmm…G… …" Yoko spoke, testing out her new voice.

Well, it was nice that her vocal chords seemed to have been in line. Now, if only she was able to properly form the words that were on the tip of her tongue.

Immediately, Goro's face lit up in excitement at her efforts to communicate and he cheered her on with a wide smile of encouragement.

"Yes! 行く, Yoko-chan!" He encouraged, holding her hands that were still left reaching for him, "パ - パ !"

"Go…ooo…" She continued before finally spitting out, "Goro-san!"

If he hadn't been holding onto Yoko's hands in anticipation, Goro would no doubt have instantly fallen back against the kitchen table in a comedic manner. Instead, he threw his head back and cried out in ill humor at the name she chose to call him by, whining with invisible tears streaming down his face while he stared at her with a wounded expression.

"Noooooo, Yoko-chan. 'Goro-san' じゃない! パパです!"

She stared vacantly at the man who continued to emphasize the affectionate term used between a child and their father. While she did know that there might have been more than one way to address one's dad in Japanese - she knew there were many different ways in both Portuguese as well as English - she wasn't all too familiar with the terms to use them on Goro. However, even if she was, she still wasn't willing to go as far as to call someone else that wasn't her real father from the before a loving name like "Papa".

Now silent after accomplishing one of the many milestones of her infancy, Yoko withdrew her hands from Goro's palms and went right back to her crayons and hiragana practice. Maybe this time, she would use a lovely orange. She's had enough of blue to last a lifetime.

"Hm? Wait a minute…" Goro suddenly spoke up, making her raise her head once again in confusion.

⌊ 僕の名前…知っている如何? ⌉

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Well, so much for thinking she was finally starting to get the hang of the whole Japanese thing.

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 **Tumblr is welcomebackyoko~**


	3. Chapter 3

**Lol, I need help with Portuguese too. Hit me up if anything is wrong and I'll fix it!**

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 **Siren**

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 **Chapter 3**

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Juba Goro has seen many incredible things in his twenty-eight years of life. Powerful quirks that shook the city and rattled the very sky above them were some of them, sure, but it seemed as if the smaller things that occurred within his first years of fatherhood shocked him more than any large villain or outstanding hero ever did.

His daughter, now a year and a half old, writing things in perfect Portuguese and English just so happened to be the most recurring surprise.

"How can you be so sure this is Portuguese?" Ebisu Bunta, Goro's close friend since their middle school days, whispered questioningly while looking down at Yoko's recent scribbles of foreign languages. The child in question, was fast asleep in her crib, Goro's arm gently rocking it back and forth as he stared at her small form which had grown significantly since the first time he set her down in it. Maybe it was time to start thinking about getting her an actual bed…

"I mean for all we know, it could just as well be a bunch of gibberish." Bunta continued, "Olá m…mea..meu? N..nom…See? Can't even pronounce it. It _has_ to be a bunch of nonsense."

Goro laughed quietly at his friend's thought process and rubbed his chin and face absentmindedly, feeling the small scratches of facial hair against his skin. He needed to shave soon, "Well, what about the English? You and I both took English classes long enough to know what some of the things she's written on the paper are."

"Bold of you to assume that I actually payed attention in those classes."

He stared at his friend in disbelief, a scoff escaping his smiling lips as he playfully punched Bunta in the arm at his comment, "Oh really? Well, then what were you so focused on you couldn't even learn simple English like a normal student?"

Bunta ran a hand through his already cropped tan hair, "At the time? Hmmmm…probably Ushio."

That earned a more serious punch in the arm, the sound of the collision much heavier as Goro put more power behind his throw.

"Ow!" Bunta silently mouthed, dropping Yoko's paper of words to rub his abused bicep "Why'd you do that?!"

Goro just smiled and continued to rock his daughter's crib, "Hm? I'm sorry, did I do something wrong?"

"Why you little—" He raised his arm at him and threw a punch of his own at Goro's much thinner limb, only for the fist to phase right through his body unexpectedly.

"What's the matter?" Goro teased knowingly, "Are you having a little trouble there?"

"Hey! You can't use your warping like that!"

"Why? It's not my fault Mr. Pro Hero can't land a punch." he snickered, fully enjoying his friend's troubled expression, "Maybe you should've payed more attention in class when you were a kid instead focusing on somebody else's gi—!"

The rest of his statement was lost and lodged in his throat as Goro felt a hefty hand smack him upside the head suddenly, making him lurch forward and almost fall off the stool he was sitting on. With his free hand moving up to try and ease the burning pain behind his head, he glared over his shoulder at Bunta. This time, it was _him_ who grinned at the other's expense.

"Still haven't learned to watch your back, I see." He taunted frivolously, "No wonder why you became washed up straight out of high school."

Well, now he couldn't let him have that. A war was beginning to brew, and he was going to make sure he came out victorious. Even at that moment, it seemed as if Bunta was thinking the exact same thing, a cheshire grin spreading across his face in excitement as he held out his fists in an awkward mock boxing position - it was a bit difficult when the both of them refused to stand up from their respective stools.

"Mmmmmm…"

Both men froze at the high sound of a child's groan and looked down to see Yoko's face scrunching up in discomfort at the loss of her crib's rocking. Apparently, in his moment of battle preparations, Goro had briefly forgotten about his duties by his child's side. Immediately, both he and Bunta shushed each other, the former going back to gently swaying the cot while the latter picked up the paper of alien letters from its spot on the ground.

Once again, the conversation had gone back to its original topic, "I don't know, Goro. Maybe you just ended up with one of those rare genius babies. You did also say that she called you by your first name the first time she spoke. Most kids don't even know their parents' names until at least several years. Maybe even later depending on how they grow up."

"Well, she did practically run away from you the first time you two met." Goro murmured with pleasure, "Any child who learns to do that at a young age has _got_ to be the smartest kid on the planet."

It really was an amusing sight to see, how Bunta had crouched down on their living room carpet to say hello to Yoko only for the child to crawl away not even a moment later. His appearance was quite amazing in its own way - his light, tan hair complimenting his brown skin and matched his golden eyes that practically glowed in the dark. It was all thanks to his quirk which came from a felinesque family, giving him not only padded palms and clawed hands but also a larger build that associated him with his more feral side. His body was made to give him the speed of a cheetah, the agility of a panther, and the pride of a lion. All in all, it earned him the hero name "Sphinx", the respect of those with similar quirks…

And the suspicions of his sole child who only seemed to look at him with cynical eyes.

As somebody who grew up forever bearing the title of "Second Place" just behind Bunta, it was an absolutely glorious feeling to actually see someone not fond over him from the very get-go.

Although, it would have been nice if she didn't look at him the same way as she did his best friend.

"Oh please." Bunta rolled his eyes, "If keeping her distance from me is what makes her the smartest kid, then why does she do it to you too?"

 _Ah. So he noticed it too._

Goro's breath hitched in his throat at the whispered statement, his face morphing into a childish pout as Bunta's words stuck him where it hurt, "So you think she's staying away from me on purpose too, huh?"

Abruptly, he let go of Yoko's crib, startling Bunta and making him somewhat dive for the cot - Yoko's paper of fancy languages was lost, yet again, and had fallen back to its spot on the floor - in order to continue its rocking motion to keep the child it held asleep. Goro himself just dismissed the vivacious save and covered his face with his hands in sorrow.

"I don't understand, Bunta." He mewled, "What if Yoko-chan secretly hates me? I don't think I can handle that kind of rejection."

"Oh, come on!" Bunta sighed, "Of course she doesn't hate you. I was only teasing! You're her father who has been taking care of her all by yourself for over a year now. Even if she wanted a reason to hate you, she couldn't possibly do so once she knows all of that."

He switched his hands on the crib, making his left hand take over the job Goro had abandoned while his right patted his shoulder and comforted the same man distressing over the inner feelings of his daughter.

Goro appreciated the gesture, he really did. After everything he's been through the past year and a half, he was eternally grateful that Bunta was still around to help him out when he needed it, even _if_ Yoko always eyed him from across the room. However, as the days with his daughter increased, he couldn't deny the strange behavior she kept exhibiting towards everything.

As she grew, she was able to sit up by herself, crawl, pull herself into a standing position, and was even able to walk slightly as long as she held on to something. But, she rarely tried to talk - the only times Goro ever really heard her speak after her first words was whenever he caught her voicing some hiragana characters, in which case she would instantly fall silent after he showed even a little bit of excitement towards seeing her develop - she never cried anymore, and with both Bunta and himself, she acted as though she was resistant on getting close to them. Sometimes, it made Goro wonder if Yoko was even 'all there'.

Then, he finds her either solving his old rubix cubes or wanting books teaching katakana or _practicing perfect Portuguese and English with crayons_ and all of his previous questions are thrown out the window, replaced by dozens more that are just as impossible to answer. If he was to be honest, it was starting to drive him a bit crazy.

Bunta squeezed his shoulders in another sign of reassurance, "You're a good parent, Goro. And I know for a fact that Ushio is happy she chose you to be the father of her child."

"Oh no." Goro chuckled, dragging his hands down his face, "You aren't allowed to say that. You can say so many things but _that_ is off limits."

"But, it's the truth!" Bunta insisted. He tried to keep his voice low while simultaneously showing his genuine feelings, " _You_ are a great father."

Goro just smiled in defeat at the statement, his hand going up to tap the one Bunta kept on his shoulder as support. The both of them sat there in silence then, neither one finding anything else to say as they stared at Yoko in her crib. She really looked nothing like Goro, her blue hair and light skin completely different from his own darkened features. But, she didn't really look too much like her mother either; While Ushio had indigo hair herself he never remembered her having any pretty little scales or delightfully deep blue eyes that reflected the color the sea.

She was already her own person, little bits of both him and her mother coming together to create someone completely original. Someone completely new. And, thinking about the things she was already capable of accomplishing now, Goro could only continue to wonder what kind of individual their little Yoko would decide to become.

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Juba Yoko was two years old now.

Juba Yoko was two years old and the scales on her body were _spreading_.

Sitting on top of the sink in the sole bathroom located in their apartment, her tiny bottom fitting inside the round basin, she stared at her reflection in the large mirror. Cautiously, almost fearfully, she brought her fingertips to her cheeks where her first - and, at the time, only - few scales had resided on her face, the slightly rubbery texture grazing the pads of her skin as she did so. Then, as if she was following a path drawn on her, she moved her digits upwards and around the outer corners of her large eyes until the elastic grain of her scales stopped completely just before the base of her forehead. She repeated this process of memorization, back and forth, until the rubbery texture began to wear off in an odd way, making her want to rest her hands back in her lap once again as she glared at her likeness in the mirror.

It was an absolutely detestable image, in her opinion.

Yoko had been keeping track of her appearance everyday after realizing that the fishy resemblance she already had was, in fact, taking over more skin than what she was comfortable with - the plates on her shoulders now reached behind her over the tops of her shoulder blades while the ones on her thighs were beginning to crawl down towards her knees. As a result, her desire to cover as much of her scales as she could only grew, though actually doing so has shown to be quite a difficult feat for a toddler such as herself. Already, she had quarreled with Goro about buying her shirts and cargo shorts instead of frilly dresses and wanting to keep growing her bangs out long so that she could hide the scales on both her body and her face, respectively.

She felt as though Goro wouldn't understand the exact reasoning for why she wished for such odd requests, but she still did her best to make it abundantly clear - using her babbles and most likely broken Japanese - that the purpose behind it all was extremely important and absolutely _had_ to be followed. Unfortunately, even with this, he _still_ didn't understand.

"Yoko-chan?" She could hear Goro's voice call from behind the bathroom door, making her instantly freeze, "Yoko-chan where'd you go?"

Not wanting him to find her just yet in her time of insecurity, she scrambled out of the basin of the sink and carefully hopped off the surface so her feet came in contact with the cold tiled floor. Then, she promptly opened the cabinets just underneath the counter and climbed inside, quickly shutting the doors behind her just before the much larger entry to the lavatory unbolted.

"Yoko-chan?" Goro called again, this time the sound bouncing off the walls and echoing a bit in the small space. She squirmed a bit as she heard his large footsteps pass by her hiding place and pace around the rest of the room trying to look for her - she had startled at the sudden sound of him pulling back the curtains of their shower - but did her best to keep as still as possible during his endeavors.

It wasn't until the sound of his footsteps faded away and silence consumed the air that she dared peak outside of her safe haven. She waited a couple more moments, the lack of noise that would have come from Goro shutting the bathroom door shut again throwing her off, but eventually reached forward and opened the cabinets a crack to peer out.

That tiny opening was all Goro needed, much to her chagrin.

"Found you!" He exclaimed happily as he yanked both cabinets open and exposed her presence to the world. The action did more than just catch her off guard, forcing her to jump back on instinct only for the metal pipework of the sink to dig into her side and make her choke on her frightened yelp. Luckily, though, she recovered quick enough and dashed out of her hiding space past Goro's insistent hands that made a grab for her capture.

"Yoko-chan! Wait a minute!" She heard him holler behind her, but she only ignored him.

With the soles of her small feet slapping against the hard wood flooring, Yoko ran down the hall of the apartment, Goro's own strides right behind her in a fiery chase. The only other places for her to escape to were either the living room and kitchen, neither one of them holding too many spots for her to keep herself in. However, if she could just create a diversion, something to knock Goro off guard or even distract him - it didn't have to be all that grand either - then perhaps she could make it back down the hall she came from and lock herself in her room.

It was an imperfect plan, one she wasn't sure would even work. But, it was all Yoko had on her at the moment, and she was more than willing to do anything to simply _get away_. She knew she would have to act fast too as she still wasn't too used to moving so quickly and agile-like with the small body she continued to possess.

"Wait right there, Yoko-chan!" Her pursuer commanded just as she hid behind the side of their living room's couch. She poked her little head out from the side once she did so, staring right at Goro as he approached the piece of furniture from the other end carefully. His arms were held out in front of him, making it look as if he was trying to catch a wild animal instead of a misbehaving toddler. Even his eyes seemed to say 'Stay calm. It's okay. Good girl. Good girl…'

"Come here, Yoko-chan." Goro tried again, a nervous laugh bubbling up his throat, "It's okay."

She shook her head at his insistence cautiously and watched as his face fell at her response, "Yoko-chan~!"

Again, she whipped her head side to side, putting a bit more effort to show how unwilling she was to being caught - She was sure Goro already got the gist of her feelings from the beginning, though.

The both of them continued to stare at one another at their respective positions, neither one making an effort to disturb the uncomfortable standstill they found themselves at in fear that the chaotic results would not be in their favor. Eventually, however, it was Goro who decided to sacrifice his chances, his body lunging forward with a might yell towards his child. Unfortunately for him, Yoko had maneuvered out of the way just in time making him trip over his own footing at her quick thinking and slide face first into the floor, knocking over several stacks of DVDs and toy block pillars that had been left around by the both of them.

The sound of Goro's body heavily colliding with the ground made her heart beat faster and, for a moment, she stumbled in her steps back towards her room. Thankfully, the adrenaline coursing through her body kept her going, and she was able to reach the brown door of her room before Goro could even stand back up completely again to get back to chasing her.

Yoko wasted absolutely no time shutting the only entryway to her chambers, welcoming the sound of the loud bang that came with her slamming it closed with both of her hands. Sadly, she wasn't tall enough to reach the lock of her door effortlessly, but was quick-witted enough to begin dragging things over to block the entrance from anymore unwanted visitors, starting with her chest of dolls and toys.

 _'_ _This won't be enough!'_ She thought after eyeing the small trunk. Turning around she began to frantically look for something - _anything -_ else to plaster against doorway…

Only to be snatched up by Goro the moment she did so.

"Gotcha!" He proclaimed happily, completely dismissing the whines and shouts of disapproval that immediately came from his child upon her capture, "I finally caught you!"

He was out of breath and Yoko could see from the corner of her eye while trying to break free that his body was still trying to catch up to him after his obvious warping through her walls. She also noticed a large red mark on his forehead and that his glasses were crooked now on the bridge of his nose, showcasing the battle wounds he had received during his fall minutes before the conclusion of their epic chase.

The resulting appearance was actually quite impressive considering the fact that all he was doing was running around in pursuit of a two-year-old. Nevertheless, she honestly couldn't care as all she was focusing on was how to become a small Houdini and magically escape the clutches of her so called "father".

"No!" Yoko cried while kicking and punching repeatedly. Her attacks only really kissed the air between her and Goro, though, since he was smart enough to hold her out at arms length amidst her struggling, "No! No! No!"

All he could do was look at her pleadingly, "Come on, Yoko-chan~. It's just a small haircut. Don't you want people to see your cute face?"

"Nooooo!"

Goro sighed wearily, not even flinching or complaining about the way she was beginning to claw at the hands that held her still. In her defense, her bangs hadn't even grown that long yet - she actually wished they were much longer - and the rest of her hair had only reached to her shoulders at that point. But, she still wanted to keep her scales from being exposed to the outside world. If doing so meant she had to continuously run away and fight off Goro's grooming attempts, then she was prepared to go about this same routine of cat and mouse everyday.

"Yoko-chan, _please_." He began again once she finally began to tire out and her attacks became weaker. It was difficult to keep going while she was begin kept in the air, after all, "We don't have to cut them today if you don't want to, but before they get too long we should—"

His words were cut off at the sound of a knock resonating off their front door, surprising them both. For a second, a kind of mutual understanding was exchanged between them as they looked at one another with equally confused and somewhat alarmed expressions towards the unexpected change of events.

As if the past five minutes of intense wailing and deterrence - all one sided on her end - never happened, Goro maneuvered himself out of the room, pulling his child close to his chest and carefully moving her chest of toys out of the way to leave since couldn't warp with her as luggage. It wasn't that much of a walk from her room to the front door, but before she could prepare herself in Goro's arms, he had already unlocked the latches and slowly opened the entrance to see who it was that had decided to pay them a visit.

"Ah!" Came the startled voice of a woman just outside the threshold of their apartment. She was a petite thing, both in height and in stature, with hair the color of dark moss half up in a bun behind her head. Her widened eyes were also of the same color as her shoulder length tresses and shined with a mixture of what seemed to be worry, angst, and bewilderment. Whether it was because of Goro's still ruffled appearance - he must have thought of that too because he removed one of the arms holding her up to try and fix his glasses at least - or something else, she didn't know, but it actually made her want to dig her fingers into her "father's" shirt as she tried to put as much distance between them as possible.

"Hello! Can I help you?" Goro asked politely with a smile.

That seemed to bring the strange woman back on track of things, "Oh! No no! I'm fine, thank you! I just…I…" She blinked several times at her stuttering self and shook her head quickly as if to remove any other bumbling thoughts, "My name is Midoriya Inko. I live just right next door, you see, and I couldn't help but hear a lot of crashing and yelling just now."

Yoko could literally feel Goro's arms stiffen as his whole body froze in guilt. Yep, they were busted.

The woman named "Midoriya", though, kept going on, her senses not at all picking up on Goro's awkwardness, "I just wanted to make sure everything was all right," she concluded.

Goro simply smiled meekly, hefting his child higher up in his arms, "Well, thank you for taking the time to come and check up on a neighbor, Midoriya-san, but I think I should apologize for everything. My daughter, Yoko, isn't all too fond of the concept of 'grooming', you see…"

Immediately, Yoko glared up at the man unappreciatively, _'Really?'_ she thought, _'You're really going to put most of the blame on me?'_

She was the one who kept telling him 'No', after all. All _he_ had to do was listen and leave her alone, but nooo…

"Oh? How old is she? Little Yoko-chan?" The Midoriya lady asked a little too excitedly, her gaze focusing on her suddenly and catching her off guard.

"Do you want to tell her how old you are, Yoko-chan?" Goro inquired while looking down at her in his arms. It only made her uncomfortable, being stared at expectantly by the both of them when she still wasn't even used to handling one single adult yet.

In the end, after an eternal moment - she was sure the whole ordeal only really lasted a couple of seconds - Yoko turned her face away and dug it into Goro's shoulder, a soft but very clear "No" escaping her lips and answering the question crudely.

"Haha…I'm sorry." Goro nervously excused while rubbing her back in circles, "She's probably still a bit agitated from out little scuffle earlier. But, she just recently turned two."

Yoko could practically _hear_ the Midoriya lady's smile widen on her face, "Wow! How exciting! I actually have a son of my own who will be turning two in about a month, also!"

"Really?!"

"Yes! His name is Izuku."

"Woah! Would you look at that. Such an interesting world we live in, huh?"

Well, Goro was definitely not wrong there.

Yoko stayed there in the man's arms silently, an unconventional third wheel while a heated and perpetually joyful discussion between the two adults brewed. Maybe it was a parent thing to be so enthusiastic about any opportune moment to talk about your child, because she knew for sure the tiny things both Midoriya and Goro were talking about wouldn't have sounded interesting in the slightest to those who lacked a younger generation.

"Okaa-san?" A new, much softer and higher voice came in, revealing an additional presence in their odd circle.

Curious, Yoko looked back over her shoulder towards the lady named Midoriya and her eyes followed the woman's own gaze as she looked down in surprise at a young boy tugging at her skirt.

"Okaa-san?" The little boy tried again, "Is it computer time yet?"

Straightaway, the woman's entire self softened and a fond smile eased its way on her face, "Oh, Izuku! I'm sorry. Did I make you wait too long?"

"So this is the young Midoriya! Izuku, right?" Goro quizzed playfully as the boy's mother reached down to lift her child into her arms. Unlike Yoko, that Izuku kid seemed much more eager to be a part of new meetings with complete strangers.

"Midoriya!" He announced with a happy fist thrown up in the air, "Midoriya Izuku!"

Yoko stared at him in his triumphant introduction, the other two adults watching him reacting with Ooooo's and Aaaaaa's and cheers that would not doubt encourage him to do even more. It was cute, she had to admit, especially when his appearance contained the deadly combination of soft, unkept, viridescent green hair and a galaxy of freckles that sprayed across his rounded cheeks just under his large, bright eyes.

"These are our neighbors, Izuku." Midoriya explained clearly before suddenly stopping all together. It must have occurred to her that she hadn't even asked Goro for their full names yet. Actually, she hadn't even asked Goro for his name at all the more Yoko thought about it, "Ummm…"

"Juba Goro is my name." He established quickly, holding out his large hand towards the boy, "But, you can call me Goro. Nice to meet you, Izuku-kun!"

Without missing a beat, the Izuku kid grabbed Goro's hand with both of his tiny ones and stared at their connecting appendages with a wide smile as if that was the proper way to conclude a handshake.

He looked back up at the man, his bright eyes shining with the natural merriment that came with making a new friend, "Goro-sa!"

"Yes!" Goro laughed heartily, "There we go! You got it! And this one right here is…"

He looked down at Yoko expectantly, his face silently asking her to at least _try_ to interact when such a delightful kid was involved. And he _was_ such a dear. Even if the orbs that lowered to stare at her _did_ come with a strange and curious intensity. Seriously, having eyes like that should have been illegal. She wasn't even sure _her_ own eyes were that big.

"No." Was all Yoko said as she tore her gaze away and tightened her grip on Goro's shirt. All he could do was sigh, disappointed but not surprised.

"Don't be rude, Yoko-chan. Izuku-kun only wants to say hi."

Again, she shook her head violently, barely even allowing Goro to finish reprimanding her before her already evident response escaped through her actions.

"Yoko-chan~!" He whined. The woman named Midoriya laughed anxiously in front of them as she watched the entire scene play out, unsure of what to do or say herself to get her to at least look at them for more than three minutes. Not like she would have done it anyway even if the woman _did_ decided to involve herself.

However, much to Yoko's surprise, it wasn't the mother who ended up trying to break past the barriers she held up.

"Yokkan!" The Izuku kid said passionately, completely unphased by her inability to willingly communicate. Stunned by the out of the blue moment of her pseudo name being called, as well as the way it was butchered by him, Yoko jerked her eyes forward and ogled the way the bright eyed child reached a hand out to her, "Let's play! Computer time together! Hero watching!"

His squeaky voice was much more lovable than any other kid she remembered hearing in her past life and it was absolutely criminal for him to use such a weapon on herself. Nevertheless, his entire proposition did not sound pleasing to her whatsoever - she had barely gotten used to the mere _fact_ that the strange oddities the people around her lived with were called 'quirks' before the idea of being a hero as a professional career knocked her down once again - and Yoko found herself doing her best to shy away from Izuku's friendly gesture.

"Noooo…" She whimpered while keeping her eyes on the freckled boy. It was almost hypnotic how his bright orbs blinked at her reaction in confusion, sucking her in and keeping her in a spotlight she was never comfortable with being in. As soon as his expression changed, however -his smile transforming into a small and sad pout when the realization that she didn't want to be around him sunk in - she was able to ultimately look away again, nuzzling her face back into the fabric on Goro's shoulders.

"Izuku, maybe today isn't a good day to have Yoko-chan come over." His mother instructed, a light scold hidden in between the lines of her good-natured words.

The boy merely pouted some more, "But…computer time with Yokkan…"

"I know, sweetie, I know." She continued, "Yoko-chan probably just isn't feeling well today."

"I'm sorry, Midoriya-san." Goro spoke up, a hand coming up to rest on Yoko' s back as she lied her cheek in the dip of his collar. At that point, there was no telling what exactly he was apologizing for - the ruckus they made in their apartment, her attitude, her inability to want to be near anyone… Really, there was just too many things piling up on her tab - and yet, he still felt as if saying something about it would help the situation she had gotten them both into.

The woman named Midoriya only smiled at his words, "Don't worry about it, Juba-san. Now that we know we're neighbors, there will be plenty of time for playdates in the future. Right, Izuku?"

"Okay!" Came the quick and chipper reply. Well, that little dispirited moment of his didn't last long, did it?

"So I guess we'll see the both of you around, Midoriya-san?" Goro asked, bemused.

"I hope so! It would be nice for Izuku to have someone nearby." She answered with all honestly. In her arms, and with impatience slowly starting to take over the emotions he felt, Izuku patted her shoulder and pointed back towards their own apartment next door.

"Okaa-san?" He started, "Computer time?"

Both Goro and Midoriya laughed, "Yes, you're right, we should go now." The woman faced Goro and Yoko properly, her small frame bending forward a little ways in a minuscule bow that didn't dare disturb the position she held her son in, "It was nice meeting you, Juba-san. You too, Yoko-chan!"

"Nice meeting the both of you too!" Goro gladly reiterated, his own torso angling downwards to mimic the respectable action.

With a small wave, the mother named Midoriya turned and began the short trek back to the apartment that was adjacent to their's, her son still close in her possession. It really was a small distance - literally only a couple of steps if Yoko were to try and physically measure it - and Goro had already moved to shut the door of their own home closed as there was no reason to check and make sure the nice woman got back safely. Regardless, and just before their front door was completely shut, Izuku still tried to give Yoko one last parting gift.

"Bye bye, Yokkan!" His voice echoed down the hallways, reaching her ears just as their heavy door fastened itself to its locks and making Goro chuckle at the boy's last minute farewell.

She stared at the once opened entrance where both Midoriya's had previously stood before them, the Izuku kid's words repeating themselves in her head in an unnecessary fashion. There sincerely was no point in her thinking about such a fleeting expression nor was there any need for her to answer back since the appropriate time to do so was gone now.

In spite of that, Yoko still felt herself staring at their front door, the image getting further and further away as Goro walked deeper into their living quarters to continue on with the day. It wasn't that she believed she wouldn't see them again - they lived right next door, after all. It would have been impossible not to - but just that maybe she really _should_ have said something back. She probably wouldn't have felt as guilty as she did now if she simply relented.

And so, Yoko discovered her gaze to be hopeful, as if the two year old mind that intermingled with her much more developed side was trying to convince herself that the Izuku kid would suddenly come back into her field of view.

"Bye bye…" She whispered eventually, her being still somewhat drawn to the space their neighbors had left behind. The response was incredibly late and not at all what she thought she had wanted to say in retaliation. But what ended up hurting the most about it was that, in a very cruel sense of irony, in that single moment she had actually wanted to be heard, there was no one there to listen.

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 **New Tumblr is welcomebackyoko~!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Since people have been asking, I will be posting a new chapter every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday unless I say so otherwise. I will be telling you all when I need a day or week off from writing or when a chapter won't go up in time on my Tumblr page so be sure to go follow welcombackyoko to see all the news.**

 **Even if you don't have a Tumblr, you can just go and have some fun! I post drawings and music and, soon, little excerpts. ^^**

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 **Siren**

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 **Chapter 4**

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There was something she wanted to be in the the before. Something she wasn't able to tell anyone before her unfair demise: a doctor.

Granted, she had only discovered this unexpected dream of hers a year before her departure, half of those six months filled with immense doubt that she was even serious about the medical field in the first place. When she realized that her mind wasn't set on changing, however, it felt as though she had finally found a calling. finally there was a future for her after so many years of mistakes and bad decisions.

And of course, that had to be stripped from her suddenly, ruthlessly, _mockingly_. If there was a god out there - her questions regarding the topic increasing after her incident - she was sure they enjoyed watching her suffer.

Whether she would have been able to successfully receive any sort of doctorate degree in her previous life, she wasn't sure anymore; she wasn't exactly the best student in school, after all. Nevertheless, she refused for her ambitions to fade away and die just as she had, the emotion spreading into an overwhelming sense of yearning the longer it took for her to resume the path she started.

So when Goro's best friend, Bunta, took her out to buy her a present for her third birthday - apparently, she was supposed to think of him as her 'ojii-san' - she did not hesitate at all to choose a book talking about bones, muscles, _and_ the things that connected them.

"Are you sure?" The large, cat-like man had questioned with raised eyebrows. He was trying, at the time, to have her choose between the other books in the bookstore that talked about the common images of childhood like fairies and princesses, pirates and treasure, or, to reflect the lives of today, heroes and villains. They were cute, she had to admit, with their nice drawings and pleasing aesthetics, but they weren't what she had wanted, "Are you _really_ interested in that, Yo-chan?"

"Yes!" Was her final answer with a definite nod.

The book itself wasn't all too dificult to read even if she was still learning Japanese. She was even sure it would have helped her practice some more since the pages inside held a healthy blend of hiragana and katakana.

" ** _ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY FOR KIDS! (And Adults)_** " is said on the front, the vibrant hues and dancings skeletons and muscular frames making the cover look much more exciting than the topic surely was in reality.

It was silly and ridiculous and, most of all, was a completely unprecedented selection to Bunta. She could see that fact clear in his eyes.

Instead of questioning about it even further, though - as she knew Goro would had he been there with them to witness her eccentric pick - Bunta only shrugged, his face flashing past the genuine state of awe and settling into a look that payed no mind.

.

And that was how she found her way back on the road towards becoming a medical practitioner.

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It's not that she hated children. She was actually, quite fond of them every time she saw them from afar and even used to fantasize about what her own children would've looked like if she were to ever marry and start a family of her own in the before. To her, little kids would be so much fun to have around, were it not for their underdeveloped minds and inability to get the simplicity of the thing called 'personal space'.

She was used to children made disasters to some extent after having to babysit continuously for her aunts, uncles, and even her own mother after her baby brother was born. Even so, she didn't exactly appreciate the crying, tantrums, _or_ mysteriously sticky substances that always clung to her whenever an adolescent fiend was involved.

Knowing full well that today was the day she started pre-school with them - three years in a small area filled with different, yet equally rambunctious toddlers each semester - was the icing on the absolutely distasteful cake.

"Okay, Yoko-chan, are we sure you have everything?" Goro asked for the umpteenth time that day, this time with the oversized video camera making a comeback.

Through the lens of the old tape recorder he inspected her outfit. With her tiny self all decked out in a light blue poncho and baby duck yellow hat, it was no wonder why Goro had suddenly decided to warp off only to return with his most trustworthy and prime camcorder.

"Yoko-chan~" He gushed repeatedly, "Are you excited for your first day?"

No. No she was not.

She turned her face away from the camera in slight annoyance, the bags that hung from her shoulders jostling at the movement. It stunned her how many things were required for her to bring to the nursery center - a school bag, a blanket bag, a bag for changing clothes, a bag for clothes after they have been changed, _and_ a bag for shoes - the shock intensifying upon learning that it was the _child_ who was expected to carry it all everyday.

"Yoko-chan~' Goro cooed lively, "Come now. Say 'Hi!' to the camera"

"No!" She squeaked out. As if it would help her become invisible, she yanked at her ever growing bangs that now reached down to her chin and did her best to cover her face with them. Goro had long ago since lost the battle to trim her fringe and could only chuckle admittedly as he watched her unconsciously remind him of that defeat.

Putting down the vintage recorder, he patted her covered head affectionately, "Okay, I'll stop now, my little Ariel. It's time we get going now anyways!"

Goro hopped up enthusiastically in the hallway where they were and held out his hand towards her, waiting. Not having any other choice in the matter, she slipper her tiny palm in his own large one and allowed him to lead her out of their apartment.

If she was to be honest, she was never excited about the day when she would ve sent off to a classroom of screaming children - who would be if they already had half a mind on how people should normally behave in front of others? Thankfully, preschool wasn't exactly mandatory and she thrived in that period of time - which now seemed too short after losing it so easily - when she wasn't required to go. However, thanks to both the social customs of this new country she lived in, as well as Goro's job forcing more hours on him than he would have liked, she was inevitably stuck with the prospect of meeting chaotic miniature humans everyday. _Fun_.

"Ah! Yokkan!" A familiar voice called excitedly just several paces away. Startled by her nickname's sudden usage, she looks dup towards the source and, sure enough, saw the child, Izuku Midoriya, waddle towards them with a large bag of his own in both hands.

The outfit he wore was an exact replica of what she had donned, only the golden hat atop his head did little to tame the disheveled mop she had conclusively associated him with. Unlike herself, a large smile lit up his face and, unless she was imagining it, it seemed to burn even brighter the more he stared at her.

"Oh, Yoko-chan! You look so adorable!" Izuku's mother greeted while threading a compliment in at the same time, "The uniform suits you so well."

"Doesn't it?" Goro agreed without an ounce of shame, "Izuku-kun looks very handsome in the uniform too! Dontcha, Izuku-kun?"

Immediately, a thrilled fist was thrusted into the air, "Handsome!"

"Yes! Very handsome! Oh? But, what's this?" The older of the two males knelt down in front of Izuku strangely, an unexpected look of seriousness crossing his features, "You have something behind your ear…"

Before the kid could check himself to see if his words rang true, Goro reached behind Izuku's ear carefully. For a few seconds, he searched profusely there, until…

"Ta Da!" A single silver coin. Small, shiny, and worth a hundred yen held up in Goro's fingers triumphantly.

The child gasped loudly at his body seemingly producing small bits of currency and slapped a hand over the ear from which the coin had come from in astonishment. Riding on this excitement, Goro juggled the coin in between his fingers back and forth until, finally, he held it out to Izuku.

"Here you go, Izuku-kun." He said while relinquishing the yen to its rightful owner, "I believe this belongs to you."

Straightaway, Izuku looked up at his mother, absolutely thrilled, and showed off his new coin, "Okaa-san, look! I had money!"

"You did!" She agreed, "You might even have a whole stash in there!"

"Really?!"

She watched as Izuku and his mother continued to rave about the discovery, catching sight of Goro's smug smile from the corner of her eye. He was enjoying their reactions way too much. Although, considering that her own response to the same little magic trick as it was performed on her the other night wasn't nearly as grand, it was a little bit understandable.

"Thank you again for helping us get everything for Yoko-chan's big day." Goro gratefully said to Midoriya. Meanwhile, Izuku had completely tuned out the adults' conversation and happily showed off his coin to Yoko, "I probably would have still been scrambling around if you hadn't saved me."

Don't worry about a thing, Juba-san." She dismissed kindly. It was a bit difficult to focus on their conversation when Izuku insisted on attempting to juggle the coin between his fingers like Gore did. Cute, "I figured it would have been a bit overwhelming to find bags in the specific dimensions the center needed. It was no trouble at all."

"Thanks again." He persisted, this time with a short bow.

The Midoriyas have, surprisingly, been involved in their lives a lot more than Yoko could have ever expected. They weren't exactly on first name terms yet, but were most used to seeing each other thank any of their other neighbors. Even Bunta had grown accustomed to the Midoriya family after hearing about the assistance they've given and seeing them himself once or twice - she remembered Izuku's dazzling expression as his eyes lied upon that of a _real_ pro hero standing before him in all of his glory.

It might have been because both parents were missing their significant other - the head of their household was apparently handling work in America - but, it just felt so natural to see on another time and time again. At that point, while Izuku kept using his special nickname he had for Yoko, she ended up creating one for him in return.

"Izukkun." She spoke clearly, "Bag."

That one word held enough power for the bright-eyed child to look down and find that while he became so enraptured in the wonders of the coin found behind his ear, he had accidentally dropped his bag of bags. Now, the contents strayed onto the hard ground, most of them containing stuck on faces of heroes she had seen on TV.

"Wahhh!" And, just like that, the coin in his hand was suddenly forgotten - dropped onto the ground like a burning match and rolled away - and Izuku scrambled on the hard floor to retrieve all of his things.

From the side, Goro and Midoriya laughed fondly at the scene, the latter rising her cheek in her hands as her face seemed to say "Oh, what to do about him?"

The slight commotion had passed in an instant, though, with the boy straightening up all to ready to continue with his morning.

"Let's go, Yokkan!" He cheered. For a moment, he held out his hand towards her - the same one he had held the treasure Goro surprised him with. When he realized what was already missing from his custody, his precious coin, he stopped, "Ah…"

Yoko sighed at the sad little frown that made Izuku's face scrunch up. Really, what _were_ they to do with him?

To distract the kid from the unnecessary sadness he felt - and maybe to make herself feel a bit more comfortable with being near kids again for preschool - she held her own hand out for him, capturing his attention, "Let's go, Izukkun."

It should have been worrisome how Izuku's quick recovery and shining smile made her heart squeeze and jump. As if his terrible loss never happened, he threaded their hands together and made their fingers interlock easily.

"Let's go!" He rallied while throwing both his free hand and their joined ones in the air. Yoko was beginnning to think this was some kind of special move she had to permanently associate him with. Either way, she found no harm in going along with it and stuck her own free arm in the air to mirror Izuku's position.

"Go…" She stated plainly. Her voice and body were much more stiff than that of the boy next to her.

As Goro and Izuku's mother giggled and cheered for their respective child, Yoko looked back towards Bright Eyes and the adorable girl he had just for her.

If she was in the same class as him….she didn't know. Maybe…if such a miracle were to actually happen….then maybe she would actually like the wild years of preschool.

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She took everything back. Preschool was horrible and Izuku was horrible.

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Nursery centers in Japan, she learned, required much more participation than she remmedered any kid center ever having in America.

Right off the bat, from the very first day any new student joined a class, the children learned to make a habit of keeping things orderly. While most still have trouble doing so, it educated them in living independently. Because of this, Yoko found herself changing out of her smock uniform into overalls for playtime - something she did her best to get out of by sitting in the corner and reading her book - changing her shoes to white ballet shoes once inside only to change them again whenever she went into the exercise room, _then_ changing her clothes _again_ after their afternoon nap time.

Seriously, it had only been three days and she already felt so physically and mentally exhausted.

What made it even more tiring was how, since she had missed some time in school, her class already had a rising star. And a stupidly talented one at that.

"Kacchan! Kacchan!" Yoko heard most of the other children in the Hydrangea Class chanting animatedly.

"So awesome, Kacchan!"

"Wow!"

"Show me! Me! Me!"

"I wanna be your friend too, Kacchan!"

The tiny voices twisted over one another in a loud inharmonic noise that made Yoko dig her face deeper into her "ANATOMY FOR KIDS!" book.

Almost every second of the day since she first started preschool, that boy, Bakugo Katsuki - or "Kacchan" as so many of her classmates loved to chant - had evidently managed to do something incredible for a boy his age. So much so that Yoko couldn't say something bad about it even if she tried.

During playtime outside, no only could he run fast and play well, but he could juggle a soccer ball skillfully, dodge every chance of ever becoming "it", and once even built a mall and detailed version of Matsumoto Castle in a sand pit! Yoko wasn't able to hide the fact that she was still questioning the conception of that last remarkable feat.

If the class was inside, too, Katsuki would show off his skills during both Japanese and English lessons, answering all questions asked perfectly and without hesitation.

Even the teachers were in constant awe at the boy's giftedness, talking about the kid's worth out loud with no reason to hid it.

"He's such a remarkable young man." Yoko could hear the woman in charge of Hydrangea Class begin, starting off the daily Bakugo talk with her male co-worker.

"Yes, he really is. I can't wait to see what kind of quirk he will have in the future."

Yoko glanced at her gossiping teachers - weren't they supposed to watch _everyone_ \- before looking up from her book fully at the rest of the class. There again in the center of it all, was the beloved "Kacchan". From her spot in the corner, she could see his crimson orbs sparkle as he successfully showed everyone his first, and very flawless, work of kanji. He was obviously relishing in the amazement that hung over him.

Really, the kid was a marvel. A red-eyed wonder that easily managed to isolate Yoko without even lifting a finger.

Perhaps the sad realty would have stung her as much as it did if she wasn't able to clearly see Izuku and his bright eyes amongst the crowd of overly devoted followers.

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"Look! There's Kacchan!" Izuku had exclaimed on her first day after they both changed into their second outfits, "Let's play with him!"

Already, the fair haired child was surrounded by admirers at the time and, upon seeing the sight, Yoko instantly became uncomfortable. However, one look at Izuku's excited face made her unable to refuse his persistence and she ended up tolerating him to drag her over towards the group.

"Kacchan, Kacchan!" a little girl with green skin and small horns protruding from her head called, "You really guessed all the numbers right yesterday?"

"Of course!" He answered haughtily, "Can't any of you do it?"

The group of students all gasped and smiled in amazement, some of them - namely Izuku - clapping at Katsuki's brilliant mind that was leagues above them all. All Yoko really cared about then, however, was the amount of numbers they were doing to have to learn.

 _Did we do something like that in American preschools when I went?_

 _Why can't I remember it?_

 _Wait a minute this isn't fair! I didn't know I would have to take a_ math _class this early on!_

"Hey, Kacchan!" Izuku spoke up as the crowd of children thinned out to go say hi to their own individual friends, leaving only a few behind with Katsuki, "This is my neighbor, Yokkan, and she just started school today! Is it okay if she plays with us?"

By herself, Yoko was still swelling in and about her slight inner turmoil and didn't quite catch on to the discussion suddenly focusing on her. That is until, through her overgrown bangs, she made eye contact with the red eyed wonder, his face filled with an absolute boredom at her unenthusiastic reaction to him.

"' _Yokkan_ '?" He repeated in a drawl. Well, there was no need to wear it out in such a lukewarm way.

Yoko had turned her head away with a huff, already wanting to leave the group and go read her book she had brought with her - or better yet, go home. But, unbeknownst to her, the light of the classroom shined down on her in a way where the dark blue scales that poked between the long strands of her hair effortlessly dazzled and caught Katsuki's attention.

To say she was shocked and frightened when the boy lunged at her and yanked her lengthen hair apart to expose her plated face would have been an understatement; she was utterly horrified and her blood pressure rising as the red eyed wonder forced himself on her, making her stumble onto her bottom below them.

The fury woven with her passing sense of alarm only increased the moment he had opened his mouth, "You're a fish! You have a scaly fish face!"

Children who had stayed with Katsuki, as well as those who had come back around with more friends to join in on the new source of entertainment, each began to snicker and giggle at Yoko's down frame and their unofficial leader's delighted guffaws. With her bangs moved out of the way, Yoko wondered if all of them could see the royal hue of her scales become purple with the redness of her embarrassed blush.

Whether they did or didn't, she quickly jerked her blue tresses back over her face, trying to find the air of protection she had thought would stay.

"Fish face!"

"Kacchan's right! She has scales!"

"Woah, look at her!"

"Fishy!"

With all the annoyances she remembered most kids having, the class watching around them had begun a new kind of chorus, this one much less pleasing to Yoko's ears. The only person who didn't seem too comfortable with the large ripple effect of Katsuki's mischievous behavior was Izuku himself, though it didn't seem as if he was capable of putting an end to it all with his nervous looks back and forth between Yoko and the rowdy crowd.

"K-Kacchan…" He began, worried, "Kacchan please stop…I-I don't think…Yokkan doesn't like it…"

"Hah? Oh, come on, Izuku! I was only joking!" Was the pitiful excuse the red eyed wonder had given. As if it was enough reason for his unkind words, the children around them dispersed once more to their own respective activities, their gauges already filled to the brim with enough fun and amusement to last the rest of the day.

And it made Yoko fell just _so_ honored to have been the center of humor for them.

She didn't make a move to stand back up from the ground, the carpeted floor feeling much more homely than being up and about with snotty rugrats. That was, of course, until the Bakugo child approached her arrogantly, in which case the entire classroom suddenly felt suffocating and she immediately wanted to go back home.

"I _guess_ if you want to play with us, you can." Katsuki said with a cheeky smile. Even his speaking was much more advanced than the other children, "Izuku probably needs _somebody_ to make him look better. So, you can hang out with us today."

Yoko scowled through her bangs and glared up at the blonde with more anger than she had felt in her three years of life. Like hell she was going to want to stay another second with a brat like him, "No."

Katsuki startled, "Eh?"

Almost rolling her eyes at his confused response, Yoko finally stood up from her spot on the ground, letting go of her bangs and enabling them to fall flat across her features.

" _No_." She repeated, "Don't like you. Stay away."

The expression that instantaneously appeared on Katsuki's face - as well as his other minions and Izuku once they understood how quickly and how hard Yoko's words slapped their leader across the face - would have been a lot more humorous if she wasn't already in a foul mood from his earlier actions. Without even waiting for childish retort to come out of the kid's mouth, Yoko turned on her ballet-shoed heal and stomped away from the group and back where she was told to keep her things. She wasn't willing to stay around kids like that. No, she was much more amenable to taking the book Bunta bought for her out and sitting down and reading and _being left alone._ Classroom participation be damned. She was just going to have to deal with Goro's complaints and worries herself once he got back a note from her teacher informing her of her lack of group association.

"Oh yeah?!" A very agitated voice had come from behind her while she rummaged through her things. Ah, so Katsuki finally decided to say something, "Well, who needs you anyway, you fish face! You're even dumber than Izuku! We don't need someone like you!"

Yoko froze upon the mention of Izuku's name, and the very impolite and rude description that had come with it. With a look over her shoulder, she had stared at the freckled boy who's green eyes - Yoko noticed that they weren't as bright as they were that morning - bore right back into hers troubled. His head had gone back and forth fretfully as he looked between Katsuki and Yoko, his mind obviously filled with much uncertainty and ignorance. Was he really trying to decided which one of them to go to when the oh-so-special red eyed wonder made it specifically clear what his stance was with them?

"Come on, Izuku!" The blonde barked. It didn't take long for his unsatisfied face to change back into one full of limitless enjoyment, "We're going to play adventure today!"

"Oh! I bet you're going to find another really treasure, Kacchan!"

"Yeah! Last time, that big rock was really pretty!"

"And you gave it to sensei!"

"It was no big deal." Katsuki smiled, "I found three others already. I didn't want any more."

"Woah!"

Once again, Izuku had looked back towards the group Katsuki was taking away with him, small lot retreating before he could have a chance to get ahold of himself again after the bitter exchange between his neighbor and his "friend". He locked eyes with Yoko once more and, for a moment, she wondered if he was going to go back to her. To stay with her and hang out with her in relaxation like they found themselves doing every once and a while back home. They never did much, sure, Izuku always rambling and babbling bout the many heroes he had seen on TV while Yoko just listened with only half the attention span she normally had, but it was normal for them. It was their normal. It was _them_.

"Izuku!" Katsuki shouted again, this time making Izuku jump before he quickly turned and ran to catch up with him.

The sight made Yoko's shoulders drop in disbelief - she hadn't even realized they were tensed up high. She couldn't believe he would actually be willing to _think_ about hanging out with a disagreeable boy like that Bakugo child, let alone going off to hang out with him some more after his distasteful words.

Frowning at the outcome, Yoko puffed in vexation and turned back to pull out her anatomy and physiology book from her possessions. At the time, once she had retrieved her book, she stomped over to a lone spot in the room, sat her bottom back down on that carpeted floor and just began to read. Of course, with her mind stuffy with unwanted irritation, it took her several times to actually read the contents and information the book held, but she did so nonetheless.

If Izuku wanted to hang out with Katsuki, with that annoying little bug, then he had every right to do so. Yoko wouldn't stop him. She was perfectly fine without him before she met him and she could continue on just the same. Him leaving her like he did shouldn't have bothered her, and at that moment, it really didn't.

.

It wasn't until the next three days passed by and Yoko continued to find Izuku's bright eyes shining for the red eyed wonder without her that she could finally admit that maybe it did bother.

It bothered her a lot.

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 **Tumblr is welcomebackyoko!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for the late update! Working weekends is always a tiring thing to do and I ended up getting more swamped this weekend than usual so there was just...no time...**

 **I may have to push chapter 7 to Wednesday instead of Monday too since I just haven't been able to get to it yet. Sorry about that everyone! Thank you to everyone who had favorited Siren and followed AND left a review! You guys are so sweet and actually kept me going with this! If you want to read more Siren even (even if it doesn't update on schedule here, lol) then be sure to go to the Tumblr page, welcomebackyoko, for some extra** **content.**

* * *

 **Siren**

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 **Chapter 5**

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Yoko should have known being angry and staying away from Izuku would have been a difficult task to keep doing. It still pained her to think of how he would always leave her side whenever he saw Katsuki, his grip constantly slipping through her fingers. But, unlike the red eyed wonder, she at least knew the freckled boy had _some_ kind of conscience in him; He always made sure to ask Yoko if she wanted to join them or if she wanted him to stay and play with her before running off - in which case she would refuse his offering after making eye contact with the clearly irritated blonde who watched their every move. How annoying.

Plus, given the fact that they were still living next to each other, it would have been exceedingly burdensome to avoid Bright Eyes if Yoko really wanted to. And with the boy's larger than life smile and pleasantly warm greetings every morning despite his initial treatment towards her at school, she _really_ didn't want to.

So, when Izuku's own third birthday quickly rolled around - she had found out that the special day was only a little over a month after her own - Yoko simply couldn't say no to the small party invitation given by his own mother. Well, actually, it was Goro who couldn't say no, but Yoko still knew better than to refuse such an offering when Midoriya showed such an excited expression as she had. In fact, she seemed much more excited than what Yoko would have expected. Maybe it was a surprise party?

"Alright, Yoko-can." Goro began as he sat down and slipped on his shoes next to her in the hallway, "This is our first invite to someone else's home. Do you know what the game plan is?"

Yoko nodded and held up five stubby fingers, "Excuse self inside. Take off shoes inside. Give Izukkun present. Have fun. Have cake."

"And what did I say about those last two steps?" He questioned.

"It does not matter…if in order?"

"Yes! That's my girl!" Goro smiled widely at Yoko's small accomplishments of memorization and held up two hands happily. Yoko only stared at them for a moment in confusion before the idea that he was waiting for her to give him high fives clicked. With only a little bit of hesitation this time, she lifted her own small hands and connected her palms against his accordingly.

"Alright!" The man started up again after finishing up his shoe-work, his hand going up to adjust the glasses on the bride of his nose, "Off we go!"

With the Midoriyas living next door to them, it didn't take Yoko and Goro long to make the journey over to their front door, gifts in hand and appearances cleaned - Goro had actually managed to shave his face _and_ convince Yoko to do up her hair instead of letting her bangs take up most of her face as they normally do. Strangely eneouh, though, after Goro knocked on the door of their neighbors' home, it was the wait time before Midoriya came to answer that seemed longer than usual.

"Goro-san." Yoko tugged on the man's pant leg after several minutes passed by with no answer, "They said here?"

"O-Of course! Well, at least I'm sure Midoriya-san said they would be having the party here." Goro scratched the back of his head.

"Hmmmmm…" Yoko stared at Goro in suspicion. It wouldn't have been the first time Goro misunderstood a piece of information. It wasn't like he did it often, just that it wouldn't have been the first time.

Either way, her look still made her "father" clutch his chest as if immense pain, his torso bending forward in a comedic display of agony, "Yoko-chan~ That face of yours is breaking Papa's heart. Do you know believe in me that much?"

Ignoring the feigned hurt that came with his words of distress, Yoko's mind couldn't help but focus on how stubborn Goro seemed to be. After three years, he still hadn't given up on trying to get her to call him "Papa".

The locks on the Midoriyas' door finally coming undone was what brought both Yoko and Goro back to reality, their proper stances returning to their original positions.

The sight itself, was familiar to see, and Yoko could tell tha Toro was preparing to greet Izuku's mother with as much buoyancy as he normally gave her. However, he ended up freezing alongside Yoko at the sight of the stranger who actually opened the door.

"Ah…" Was the first thing the foreign identity said as he lay eyes on them, "Can I help you?"

He was an average sized adult, Yoko would say, practically the same height as Goro with a matching frame as well. Although, his hair was dark and messy, holding a disheveled shape she found strangely familiar.

 _Wait a minute…is this…?_

"Oh! Wait a second!" The man exclaimed, his expression suddenly so hyper, "You two must be the neighbors Into told me about."

He held out a hand towards Goro then, a smile plastered on his face ,"I'm Izuku's father, Midoriya Hisashi. It's nice to finally meet you two!"

"Midoriya Hisashi-san!" Goro instantly echoed gleefully while shaking the man's hand, "It's good to meet you too! I'm Juba Goro."

"Yes, I've heard." _Hisashi_ laughed pleasantly.

It was remarkable how one could miss the tiny similarities the man before them shared with is son that, in turn, made up most of Izuku's signature characteristics. The freckles that traveled across the boy's face like a small universe only dusted his father's face like an old can of spray pain. Meanwhile, the viridescent hue was obviously a trait Izuku inherited from his mother as Hisashi's own hair color stayed a dark and rather normal shade of brown, almost black. The only really characteristic the man had that could make anyone recognize him as Izuku's father was the messy mop of hair that lay on top of his head.

"Inko's told me how you guys have helped her out and kept Izuku company whenever they both needed it." Hisashi said as he stood straight, "For that, and as someone who hasn't been able to take care of his family at home, I am eternally grateful. Thank you so much, Juba-san!"

Following his words of gratitude, he bowed in front of them, catching Goro off guard than Yoko as he stuttered nervously at the sudden praise, "No no! It was nothing! Really. In fact, I think Midoriya-san and Izuku-kun helped up out a lot more than we did. So really, _we_ should be thanking all of you for just being here, Midoriya-san. Eh…I mean Hisashi-san. I mean…uh…eh…"

Izuku's father laughed at Goro's small struggle, "Hisashi is okay, Juba-san."

"Oh, then please, call me Goro."

"'Goro', huh? I like it."

Suddenly, in the midst of her quietly curious thoughts, Hisashi's eyes concentrated down on Yoko; the depths of his own green orbs twinkled softly as he smiled softly at her. Okay, maybe there _was_ something else Izuku took after him.

"And you…" He began, "You must be—"

"Yokkan!"

Izuku's recognizable high voice cried out in delight as he poked his head out right behind his dad's leg, making everyone turn their attention towards him and his charming elation, "You're here!"

Yoko smiled at the boy's amazing timing, "Hi, Izukkun."

The boy with bright eyes looked at Yoko oddly then, a set of gears working inside his head until a switch seemed to flip in his brain, making him gasp loudly. Doing his best to be quick on his feet, he leapt from behind Hisashi's legs and stood in front of Yoko to block her from his father's sight.

"Otou-san!" He blurted with his arms out as if to protect the bluenette, "Don't look! Yokkan no like her face!"

Oh. So he had noticed her hair was up.

Yoko bit her lip at Izuku's attempts to cover her up and prevent a similar situation that happened at the nursery school to occur again. Slowly, she looked up at Goro as if to silently say "Hey, I didn't say it.", but instantly felt her face burn at his slightly disappointed look.

"Come on." His dark eyes seemed to say, "Please just bear with it for it today."

Yoko held back a heavy sigh and looked back towards Izuku's defensive position with a renounced gaze. She had to admit that what he was doing was very kind of him - it would have been even better if he showed this much enthusiasm to protect her in front of the red eyed wonder - but, just for today, she couldn't allow herself to relax behind those walls.

"Izukkun." Yoko said while tapping his shoulder, "It's okay. Face okay today."

Izuku's eyes widened at her statement, "Really?"

"Yes. For Izukkun's birthday. Face okay today."

Bright Eyes blinked at her words for several moments, making Yoko wonder if he really understood what she told him. Eventually, however, his wide smile returned on his face and he grabbed both of Yoko's hands in his and threw them in the air.

"My birthday!" He cheered joyously and making Yoko smile once again in return.

"Yay." Her voice didn't hold as much thrill as her neighbor's did, but she couldn't deny the nice feeling spreading through her body that came with making Midoriya Izuku smile.

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"I was part of an internship program in America for a while, but then they eneded up wanting me to go back for more after my work there previously. That's why I'm now stationed in New York." Hisashi explained at the Midoriya's kitchen table after Izuku blew out his candles, "I was able to come back home for a while to stay with my family and celebrate Izuku's birthday, but they'll probably need me back by next week."

Yoko could hear Goro hum in response - he was intrigued by the man's reasoning for his absence - while she continuously tried to wipe the frosting off of her piece of cake. She had found out a while ago that the rich icing on pastries didn't taste as great as she remembered them being in the before and she rarely ate any of the creamy glazes anymore. Izuku, on the other hand, didn't seem to sense any odd tastings at all as he happily stufffed his cheeks with his delicious chocolate cake that was made in the shape of the digging hero, Captain Mole.

"How long will they keep you this time?" Midoriya asked her husband gently, her concern hidden within the syllables of her words.

"Not that long this time, I'm sure." Was Hisashi's answer. However, with the adults' sideways glances towards their son, Yoko could only assume that there were a bit of lies laces in those sentences. She just didn't have the heart to point them out.

"Hey, Yokkan! Yokkan!" Izuku unexpectedly called loudly even though they were sitting right next to each other at the table, "What's Captain Mole's saying? Do you know?"

Yoko shook her head. She, in fact, did not know.

"Don't give me any dig-atude!" Bright Eyes howled with oomph while making his voice deeper to try and replicate the pro-hero's motto of sorts.

 _Wow, that's….kinda lame._

It _did_ remind her of something, though.

Quickly, while the adults clapped for Izuku's amazing voice over work, Yoko slid out of the seat of her chair until it was just her legs dangling. Once the balls of her slippered feet successfully, and safely, hit the floor, she hurried over to where Goro sat on the other side of the table.

"Goro-san!" Yoko whispered, tugging on the hem of his shirt. Once his attention was captured by her, she cupped her mouth to voice anyone else from knowing the information she passed on to him, "Present!"

Thankfully, with Goro being her partner in crime for this mission, he understood right away what she wanted from him. Standing up for a moment and separating himself from their companions, he made his way over to the stack of things both he and Yoko brought over, pulling out a single, small wrapped gift from the already minuscule pile.

"Here you go, my Ariel." Goro said as he handed the surprise over for her to deliver. For good measure, he patted her on top of her head, being sure not to mess up her ponytail as he did so.

Yoko simply nodded shyly at the words of prose before diligently heading back over to her seat where Izuku was waiting next to her.

"Izukkun. Present." Yoko declared with the wrapped gift held out towards him. Izuku's chocolate covered face immediately beamed at the sight and he dropped his fork in excitement at the news.

"Present for me?" He asked even though he had already taken the gift from Yoko and was beginning to tear at the brightly colored paper.

From the sidelines, Yoko saw as both Hisashi and Midoriya watched their son open his gift, their smiles filled with love and adoration for their ever grown gson. It struck Yoko once again how soon the father was to leave his family as well as how long he had already been absent from Izuku's life thus far - he was never around since she's known them, that was for sure - and she wondered how special a single gift opening must have been for them.

"WOAH!" Izuku's voice exclaimed, bringing Yoko back from her thoughts.

There, clutched in Bright Eye's hands, was a small drawing Yoko had taken upon herself to do of Bunta in his hero costume - and a pretty terrible one at that. The heavy shapes and uncoordinated coloring pretty much looked like that of a potato. Curse her small inexperienced hands. In the corner, too, was a message written in fine black ink followed by a large autograph given by the tom cat hero, Sphynx.

"What did you get, Izuku?" Midoriya asked when the boy seemed to freeze upon realizing just how large the gift he was holding was.

Unable to hold back his enthusiasm anymore, Izuku flipped the picture over and showed it off to his parents, "IT'S SPHYNX!"

Both adults leaned forward to take a better look at the potato photo, Hisashi even squinting his eyes before simply reaching across the table to hold the photo himself. Feverish for his parents to read the message made out to him, Izuku hopped off his seat and ran over to their side, his feat bouncing in anticipation.

"To Izuku," Hisashi read, "Thank you for being Yo-chan's friend. You're a good kid and I hope you have a great birthday! From…Sphynx!"

"You got a pro-hero's autograph, Izuku!" Midoriya reiterated once her husband had finished.

"Autograph!"

Both mother and son cheered animatedly at the amazing present, the two of them exceedingly stimulated by the drawing that had been touched by an actual _hero_.

Hisashi, however, still seemed more than just a little bit surprised, "Wha…how on earth did you manage to get something so…so… _cool_?!"

"Oh, uh…He's actually an old friend of mine from middle school." Goro explained sheepishly, "He stops by out place every once in a while and Izuku-kun is always happy when he gets to see him up close."

"Ebisu-san is very nice in person though not at all what you would expect." Midoriya added with a still hyper Izuku now in her arms.

"What? You got to meet him too, Inko?" Izuku's father responded in utter betrayal, "Man, that's not fair! I want to meet a pro-hero in person too!"

"Sphynx!" Izuku hollered once again as his arms reached for his gift.

Hisashi, handing his son back his new treasure, couldn't help but ask, "Who did the drawing?"

"Well, the autograph idea was actually Yoko-chan's" Goro answered. He came up from behind Yoko in her chair and placed a hand on her head again, "I _think_ she wanted to make the gift more meaningful by drawing Bun…er, _Sphynx_ instead of using a professional photo. Every time he offered to sign one instead, she would refuse him bluntly."

Yoko caught Midoriya's stifled laugh at the story and she - her eyes filled with mirth - smiled at her, "Aw, well that was very sweet of you, Yoko-chan. And the drawing is absolutely gorgeous!"

Okay, now _that_ was a lie. And Yoko knew it too.

Still, as she continued to watch Izuku stare at his signed drawing in euphoria, Yoko's heart filled with relief and happiness.

He liked his gift. He _loved_ his gift. He was happy.

Yeah, there really was nothing better than to see Izuku smile.

.

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* * *

.

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As Yoko suspected, the day Hisashi had to leave to go back to America was a hard day for the Midoriyas.

"Otou-san really leaving?" Izuku asked for the thousandth time, his lip coming out in a pout that transpired the simple emotion of wasn't the only one to feel that way either, his father looking down at his son with the same dimmed eyes.

Both Yoko and Goro were told of their neighbor's departure day and had promised to at least say good-bye even though he left early in the morning. Despite their ruffled looks and baggy pajamas and their messed up sleeping schedules, the two of them were able to keep their vow. Although, Yoko now felt as if they were only intruding on a family moment.

"I know you don't like it when I leave like this, Izuku." Hisashi said as he knelt down to his son's level, "And, trust me, I don't like to leave you or Okaa-san behind. But, I _have_ to do this. _I_ have to go so that _you_ can have a future. So that _you_ can be whatever you want to be. Do you still want to be a hero?"

With tiny sniffles, Izuku nodded.

"Well, then I'll make sure to hold onto that future for you. You just make sure to be the best hero you can be and protect Okaa-san, okay? Promise?"

Izuku rubbed his eyes wearily, both from lack of sleep and the tears that threatened to stream down his face, and replied with a heartbroken, "I promise."

Hisashi, satisfied with his answer but no so much still of his working conditions, then moved his focus onto Yoko. The unexpected gaze coming from the Midoriya head startled her a bit and she unconsciously tugged at her long bangs in her sleepy state.

"And you, Yoko-chan," Hisashi began, "I am glad Izuku is able to have a friend like you. I hope you look after my son too while I'm gone, okay?"

The man brought his hand out and ruffle Yoko's bedhead playfully. Once he was done, she looked back at him through her own manually disheveled locks and nodded her head in assurance.

 _I promise you._

Hisashi continued to stare at Yoko even after her pledge to him, his smile and knowing eyes making it seem as if he found something on Yoko she wasn't aware of yet. Did she have something on her face? Was it drool?

She moved the back of her hand up to rub the corner of her mouth only to find nothing there.

"You know, Yoko-can, you should wear your hair up more ofter." Hisashi stated, "I like seeing your face and smile."

Yoko stared; It was a saying she got all the time from both Goro and Midoriya, and the familiarity of the uncomfortable words made her read out for Goro's pant leg on reflex. However, as she goggled at Hisashi's orbs, she could tell that, from him, it was a bit different. Like he wasn't trying to convince her, but simply attempting to have her _understand._ Yoko had to turn away.

The man stood then after Yoko's wordless dismissal and the farewells continued down the line; Goro shook hand with him again while Midoriya received a tender hug that lasted long enough for Izuku to want to sneak in between his parents' legs and hug them both.

And then, while he waved back at them over his shoulder, he descended down the stairs of the apartment complex.

And then, with Izuku calling out to him over the balcony, he entered the taxi waiting to take him to the airport.

And then, just as quickly as he had come, Midoriya Hisashi was gone.

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* * *

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It was two weeks after Hisashi's leave, during another small heat wave of Japan's summer, that something peculiar happened to Yoko. Or, how she would remember it; something truly _horrifying_.

She couldn't clearly recall _how_ exactly the event had occurred, really. Just that one moment she was reading in the nursery center - her blue eyes followed Izuku's form as he chased after the red-eyed wonder occasionally - thinking about how the heat was making her need water soon, and the next, she was sitting in a very wet puddle, the moisture already soaked through her clothes and the carpet.

Yoko was naturally taken aback by the strange phenomenon - 'Did something spill nearby?' she had thought - but, what made her stop and realize something was, indeed, wrong with the whole picture, was how the scales on her face had hardened up and jutted out of her skin like a parasitic barnacle.

"Aaaa…. _aaaa_ …!" Her voice had rose at the sudden awareness. Her hands had tried to push the hardened scales back in where they were before, but to no avail at the time.

"Ah!" Another voice then cried out, "Fish Face peed!"

Yoko's head whipped around instantaneously at _that_ comment, though she wasn't able to find the source of the lie. All around her, making her skin pale, dozens of eyes froze and glued themselves onto her position and the large puddle that was slowly increasing beneath her. Seeing their expressions rise into faces of amusement, Yoko did her best to yank as much of her hair as she could over her face.

 _Don't look at me._

 _Don't look at me!_

 _DON'T LOOK AT ME!_

And, strangely enough, with hiding her rough scales her number one priority, Yoko found that in doing so, the blunt edges had disappeared and returned to their original form. To make sure of what she had felt was really _real,_ she quickly ran her fingers across her cheeks and had welcomed the rubbery texture of her scales she had grown used to the past three years.

Sighing, Yoko had closed her eyes in relief; Thank _goodness_. Her nightmare was over.

But, another one quickly rose from the shadows to continue her torment.

"Look! She peed herself!"

"It's all wet there!"

"Ew gross!"

"Fish Face just peed~"

With her face now growing hot at her classmates' reactions to the hug misunderstanding, Yoko tugged on her hair harder willing the echoing chants to go away just as the hardness of her scales had. Unfortunately for her, the voices continued to repeat around her, making her sit through a completely new kind of hell.

.

Soon, after a very embarrassing parent-teacher meeting the same day, Yoko found herself to be extremely parched on the walk home. More so than she had remembered earlier that day.

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* * *

 **Tumblr is welcomebackyoko~ ^^**


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